Ending Sexual Harassment and

Violence in Third Level Education

(ESHTE)
Funded by the European Union
Introductions and
overview
Training objectives

• Trainees understand forms, nature and impacts of SVH and

wider contextual issues including specific issues for students
and universities.
• Trainees are equipped to support students to disclose SVH,
addressing any emergency needs and facilitating access to
any further internal and external support, with a non-
directive and non-judgmental approach.
• They have basic information about how to report to the
police and can signpost to sources of further help and
information.
• Trainees understand the universities’ policy and procedural
framework as relates to confidentiality, information-sharing
and record-keeping.
Support and advice available

Content includes appropriate sexual violence and harassment

support services (locally or nationally)
Universities and
action to tackle
SVH and GBV
Your perspective

Why is it important from your point of view that

the university takes action to tackle GBV?
What do we know about sexual violence and
harassment facing students? (Example UK content)
An NUS survey of women students found:
68 % verbal or non-verbal harassment in and around their
institution, including groping, flashing and unwanted
sexual comments.
•16 % experienced unwanted kissing, touching or
molesting, mostly in public.
•12 % experienced stalking.
•7 % had been subject to a serious sexual assault, the
majority of which occurred in somebody’s home.
81% of those subjected to serious sexual assault, and 53%
of those subjected to less serious sexual assault, knew their
attacker.
The majority of perpetrators were students, and of these the majority
were studying at the same institution.
Source: NUS (2010) Hidden Marks: A study of women students’ experiences of
harassment, stalking, violence and sexual assault.
What do we know about sexual violence and
harassment facing students? (Example UK content)

A later survey explored the wider culture and found that:

had experienced unwelcome sexual advances (significantly

more women than men)

heard jokes about rape or sexual assault on campus

were aware of promotional materials around university using

sexualised images of women

said these images make them feel uncomfortable.

Source: NUS. (2014). Lad Culture & Sexism Survey: August-September 2014
How do students feel about reporting to
universities? (Example UK content)

The Hidden Marks survey found that:

more than four in ten victims of serious sexual assault had told
nobody
students who had been subjected to a ‘less serious’ sexual assault
were least likely to report either to the police or to the institution

Key reasons:
felt it was not was serious enough
ashamed or embarrassed
thought they would be blamed
thought they would not be believed.
Inappropriate conduct and abuse by staff towards
students (Example UK content)

38% current student respondents had experienced at least one

experience of sexualised behaviour from staff.
2.3% had experienced non-consensual sexual contact by a staff
member, while 9 had experienced sexual assault or rape.
Women respondents were more likely than men respondents to have
experienced sexual misconduct from university staff, sometimes more
than twice as likely.
For example, 15.6% of women reported being touched by a staff
member in a way that made them uncomfortable, compared to 7% of
men. The figure rises to 22.9% for gay, queer and bisexual women.

Source: NUS (2017) Power in the academy: staff sexual misconduct in UK higher
education
GBV University and National
Frameworks
Suggested Content

University GBV Policies / Frameworks

National Education Authority GBV frameworks
Working groups, training programmes, data
collection, strategic plans etc
Frontline support
4 tier training model
• Tier 1 - all staff: GBV awareness, University’s zero tolerance approach
basic skills to receive disclosures, processes and signposting
• Tier 2 -staff with a support role for students e.g. Advisers of Study,
Graduate School teams; Living Support teams and wardens in halls,
Student Services; Disability Services and SRC Advice team: more
detailed guidance on internal processes and external support services.
• Tier 3- staff in Senate Office, HR and those involved in student
conduct procedure and staff cases: training to cover procedural/legal
matters and understanding of context of dealing with cases GBV
• Tier 4 - staff designated as First Responders to include members of
Crisis Team, CaPS and others (staff and student) to be appointed: to
receive in-depth training in how to support and advise those
disclosing.
Frontline support
• Students can approach front line staff with many issues -
these can lead to others

• Personal experience or experience of friends can be

disclosed

• Training will equip you to deal with this subject with more
confidence and knowledge

• Know how to signpost externally, give advice and refer on

(First Responders)
Sexual violence
and harassment
How do we define ‘sexual violence’?

When someone does not consent to a sexual act

Making the links

Downloaded from Pinterest.com 31st August 2018

 Key points about the pyramid

• Attitudes, comments, jokes supportive which condone

objectification, harassment, misogyny and violence may be
understood as approval. Role of some male peer groups in
exacerbating this.
• Doesn’t necessarily suggest a progression at the individual level –
though this may be a feature in development of sexually violent
behaviour
• Link between objectification, dehumanisation and violence
• Violence to assert and maintain social status
 An ‘intersectional’ perspective • Complexity of
experience and
meaning of
violence

• Resources
available for
safety and
recovery

• Recourse to
services

• Experience of
justice

Source: Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women

Societal attitudes
Social attitudes discussion statements

Students should take care not to put themselves at risk

of sexual assault

Alcohol blurs the lines around consent

Social attitudes discussion statements

If a student is sexually assaulted they should report it

to the university as soon as possible

Wolf-whistling isn’t necessarily harassment – some

women appreciate it
Social attitudes discussion statements
If someone didn’t physically resist an assault it’s less
clear-cut
https://www.rapecrisisscotland.org.uk/i-just-froze/

If you delay reporting a sexual crime to the police

you’re less likely to be believed.
Social attitudes discussion statements

There have been a number of instances of false allegations of

rape in the media so they must be reasonably common.
Impacts of SVH
and trauma
 Interview with a woman who was raped
while studying at university

How her friendships and studies were affected

How it’s affected her emotionally and psychologically

How other people responded – what helped and what didn’t

Using the word ‘rape’ as a joke

How she has worked to recover from the assault

 Trauma and the Brain
Example video from NHS Lanarkshire

https://vimeo.com/126501517
The Criminal
Justice Process
The Criminal Justice Process:

Suggested Content inserting local information:

Role of Rape Crisis Centres or other specially trained internal or
external services can support survivors to decide whether to report to
the police, and to make a report if they wish to.
If a survivor makes the decision to involve the police it is best to do so
as soon as possible after the attack , and within 7 days to capture
forensics.
National Police/Forensic procedures e.g who carries out procedure,
when, supports available during process/at police station
Practical information e.g important the survivor tries not to change
clothes, wash, take drugs or alcohol before seeing the police. If they do
change clothes they are advised to put them in a bag to take to the
police.
Rights under Victims Rights Directive
Barriers faced by survivors during legal process (1)

Feeling disbelieved / blamed / not being taken seriously

Fear and distress at prospect of giving evidence in court
Lack of information and control over role on legal proceedings-
can reinforce disempowerment experienced by survivors;
survivors report feeling subject to a process they do not feel a part
of
Length of time between reporting to police and case coming to
court- very distressing for survivor, particularly if accused out on
bail
Memory gaps, due to delay in case coming to court, blocking or
repression as coping mechanisms- makes it difficult to recall
details of attack as specified in statement
Barriers faced by survivors during legal process (2)

Lack of recognition or understanding of survival or coping

mechanisms that may present as counter-intuitive to those not
experienced in impact of rape/ trauma eg survivor returning to
work straight after incident
‘Re-traumatisation- feeling raped/ violated again
Embarrassment; finding it difficult to find language to describe
what happened; feelings of shame, feeling ‘dirty’ or ‘stupid’;
feelings of self-blame and self-doubt
Impact of societal attitudes- reinforcing survivor’s own negative
feelings towards herself
Fear of being ‘ripped to shreds’ during cross-examination
Use of sexual history and character evidence
Bringing it all
together: what
does a First
Response
involve?
Example range of services

University Counselling
and Psychological
services

University Security University Crisis

Services Team

Service
s
Police Helpline

Women’s support
Rape Crisis Centre
NGO
State support
services
Ending Sexual Harassment and
Violence in Third Level Education
(ESHTE)

Funded by the

European Union